Chanel Iman

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No doubt youÂ've seen the lovely and lithesome Chanel Iman before: perhaps on the cover of Vogue last spring with fellow future supermodels, in GapÂ's spring ad campaign, or even right here in our Met Gala story. The reason weÂ're turning our MOTM spotlight on the 18-year-old native Angeleno is because right now Ms. Iman is having a (you guessed it) moment in the fashion world and deserves to be celebrated.

The aptly named model is enjoying a career uptick that surely makes her the envy of her peers. Iman had a very strong Fall 08 runway season and landed coveted shows galore including Matthew Williamson, Bottega Veneta, and Yves Saint Laurent (plus over 40 more). In addition to the Gap, sheÂ's also one of the faces in Ralph LaurenÂ's spring ads and we heard that sheÂ's clinched a position in the VictoriaÂ's SecretÂ's upcoming PINK campaign. Most exciting of all, Iman is appearing in the heavily anticipated July issue of Vogue Italia that will solely feature black models. The noteworthy issue was shot by Steven Meisel and is rumored to include rising star Jourdan Dunn, Veronica Web, and Iman (the Somalian stunner, just to clarify).

As ImanÂ's work profile has been ascending, weÂ've noticed her personal style is escalating as well. She favors snugly tailored jackets, skinny jeans, and a solid pair of ankle boots for her pre-show uniform, but we adore her vibrant moments as well, like when she broke out a ruffled Michael Kors dress for a CFDA cocktail party last week. We also appreciate the fact that Iman often turns to a signature sizeable accessoryÂ--the statement necklaceÂ--to personalize her simple dresses. If this is how sheÂ's putting herself together two years into her career, we canÂ't wait to see what sheÂ'll be wearing in twenty. Â--Lily Huber